An Account of the Dedication of the Little Red Church at Four Corners on July 9, 1876

I have run across a lovely account of
the dedication of the Little Red Church (known as the “Huguenot Memorial Forest
Church”) on July 9, 1876.The church
building that was dedicated that day was the predecessor sanctuary to the
magnificent stone sanctuary of today’s Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church on
the southeast corner of the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale
Avenue.

A Glass Lantern Slide Created by Pelham Town Historian

William Montgomery Between December 10, 1916 and June 10, 1917.

It Depicts the "Little Red Church," the Predecessor Building to

Today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church Sanctuary.

The Little Red Church was a "Centenary Church" Opened in

July 1876 in Part to Commemorate the Centennial of the

Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

While some of the “historical”
information about the founding of the Manor of Pelham in the account below is
erroneous, the account is significant in at least two respects.It contains one of the few descriptions I
have seen of the interior and the layout of the lovely Little Red Church.Second, it describes the first service held
in the newly-dedicated church.

I have written extensively about the
Little Red Church and have included a series of links to such postings at the
end of this posting following the article transcribed immediately below.

“A MEMORIAL OF THE HUGUENOTS.

-----

The Dedication of a Commemorative
Church in Westchester County.

There was dedicated at Pelham Manor,
in Westchester county, yesterday, the only Huguenot memorial church in
America.It is called the Huguenot
Memorial Forest Church, stands on ground that belonged to Huguenot refugees
nearly two hundred years ago, and is surrounded by a pleasant grove of forest
trees.The edifice is wood, with a
picturesque tower in the Norman style of architecture.Its interior is plain, with neatly-carpeted aisles,
oak and pine panelling and pews, with walnut trimmings, and a richly-carved
walnut pulpit and communion table.A
small study and vestry are in the rear of the audience room.The low, pointed windows have panes of
beautifully-stained glass, and their effect is heightened by the checkered
lights that fall through the surrounding foliage.There are seats for between 350 and 400
persons, and the total cost of the church was about $8,000.Its construction was begun about two years
ago.Previously there had been no church
on the mainland of Pelham except the Episcopal connected with the priory.Several years ago land was reserved for a
church edifice at Pelham Manor, and the Rev. Dr. Lord of the Brooklyn Lay
College originated the idea of erecting on this historic spot a church in
memory of the Huguenots, to be under the Presbyterian denomination.Pelham Manor until within four or five years,
has been virtually inaccessible to New Yorkers who wish suburban residences,
but recently railroad improvements have opened it to the outer world.The idea of Dr. Lord was warmly seconded by
Dr. Reed, Dr. Storrs, Dr. Bucington, and other clergymen, and the residents of
Pelham and the Pelham Manor Association contributed to carry it out.

The church is designed to commemorate
the Huguenots, who, in the early days of the province settled among these
groves and hills, and named the village of New Rochelle, after their own
beloved and devastated city of La Rochelle, in France, from which they were
obliged to flee in order to enjoy the religious freedom with which they
afterward helped to inspire the institutions of this country; but it is not a
distinctive Huguenot church, intended to preserve or perpetuate any particular
creed or form of worship.It’s [sic]
doors are open to everybody who desires to worship God after the Christian
fashion.

The Huguenots of Westchester county,
whose descendants compose about half of the population of New Rochelle and
Pelham Manor arrived first in New York from the West Indies and Great Britain,
between 1686 and 1689, this city being the second stage in their long flight
from persecution.Some of them seem to
have come direct from England to the shore of the sound near New Rochelle,
which they founded, and they landed at Bonnefor Point.That was their Pilgrim’s Rock, and there is a
tradition that they habitually went to the place of their first landing every
evening, led by a white haired patriarch, and, turning their eyes toward
France, sang one of Marot’s hymns, and joined in devotions.The land on which they settled belonged to an
immense tract which Thomas Pell had procured in 1654 from an Indian chief, Ann
Hook.In 1669 this tract, the possession
of which Pell had to dispute with the Dutch, descended to John Pell, who held
the title of Lord.In 1680 Jacob
Leisler, the unfortunate self-appointed Governor of New York, who was afterward
hanged for alleged treason, in order to provide for the Huguenots, whose
devoted friend he was, purchased from Lord John Pell 6,000 acres of land, which
he gave to the Huguenots, many of whom removed from New York city to settle
upon the land, which includes New Rochelle and Pelham Manor.According to the terms of Leisler’s
agreement, the Huguenots for many years, on the festival of St. John the
Baptist, presented a fatted calf to Lord Pell in token, according to feudal
custom, of acknowledgment of his lordship of the manor.

During many years the Huguenots,
numbering about two hundred families, had no church building, and Sunday after
Sunday men and women, barefooted, walked all the way to New York and back, to
worship in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Pine street.In 1709 the majority of the Huguenots
conformed to the Church of England, and the next year they erected a stone
church thirty feet square in the highway at New Rochelle, near the site of the
present Trinity Episcopal Church.There
appears to have been a split among the Huguenots in regard to conforming to the
Church of England, for another small church was built near the site of the
present Presbyterian church at New Rochelle, and a long flat stone in the
foundation is said to have formed the doorstep of its Huguenot predecessor,
every other vestige of which has disappeared.The present Presbyterian Society of New Rochelle professes to be the
lineal representative of the original French church.

The Rev. Dr. Lord assumed the
pastorate of the new church and delivered the opening sermon yesterday.The services began with music and the singing
of ‘Rock of Ages.’Prayer was offered by
the Rev. Mr. Roosevelt, a descendant of the early Huguenots, and then an
original hymn by Prof. Twing, was sung to the tune of ‘Old Lang Syne.’Prof. Twing prayed for Gold’s blessing on the
new church.Dr. Lord’s sermon sketched
the history of the Huguenots.At 5 P.M.
other services were held in the new church, consisting of music, and addresses
by clergymen from the churches in New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and other
surrounding villages.A peculiarly
beautiful effect was produced while the congregation was worshipping, in this
forest church, by the songs of birds and the chattering of cicadas floating in
with the pleasant breeze through the open windows.”

Source:A Memorial of the Huguenots – The Dedication
of a Commemorative Church in Westchester County, The Sun [New York, NY], Jul.
10, 1876, p. 3, col. 4.

As noted above, periodically I have
posted items to the Historic Pelham Blog regarding the fascinating history of
the church known today as Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pelham
Manor. For a few of many such examples, see:

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About Me

Blake A. Bell is Town Historian and a member of the Town Council of Pelham, NY in Westchester County. He is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Westchester County Historical Society (past member of the Executive Committee), and the Society of the National Shrine of the Bill of Rights at Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site (Chair). He served as the editor and publisher of the award-winning HistoricPelham.com Web site. He is the author of two books regarding the history of Pelham: (1) "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak" (iUniverse 2004); and (2) Town of Pelham's 350th Anniversary Celebration: Historian Blake Bell's Articles Published in The Pelham Weekly Plus Photos of Key Events (Pelham Weekly 2006). In addition, he is the author of more than 80 published articles on Pelham history and is a frequent speaker on matters relating to the history of Pelham and surrounding areas. Mr. Bell is Senior Knowledge Management Counsel with 850-lawyer Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York City.